It would be easy to say Baird, as an American, brews beers that aren't Japanese in the least, but much like any other American craft beer. Baird seems ready to tackle the objectors by incorporating Japanese elements into his brews. Baird's Wheat King Wit (labeled as Wheat King Ale on older bottles) is probably not a good example of Baird's Japaneseness. It's a Belgian wheat-style beer in the style of a Hoegaarden, fruity, like other Belgian wheats. At these prices and with Baird's Belgian wheat not all that easy to source, I'll probably be sticking with Hoegaarden.

Avg price/liter: USD 16.80

ABV %: 4.2

Type: Belgian Wheat

Baird Beer isn't your typical
craft brewery story. You've heard those before. Beer
lover Joe starts homebrewing. His friends love his
brew. He starts making more and tries selling a few
bottles. Demand grows. He opens up a pub, then a
real brewery. Ten years later, he's worth over $100m.

American Bryan Baird attended
Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Evidently, Baird was in love with Japan well before he
graduated, and upon commencement, he took a salaryman job in
Japan. Deregulation took place in the beer markets,
and the Japanese craft brewing revolution took off
thereafter.. Baird, sick of his salaryman job and a dabbler in home brewing, decided to open
up a craft brewery in Japan which has grown by leaps and
bounds since. Doubtful, however, he's worth $100m yet.

It would be easy to say
Baird, as an American, brews beers that aren't Japanese in the least, but much like
any other American craft beer. Baird may speak Japanese, be
married to a Japanese, and love sitting down to a Japanese
meal, but that doesn't make him Japanese. Baird seems
ready to tackle the objectors by incorporating Japanese
elements into his brews.

Baird's Wheat King Wit (labeled as Wheat King Ale on older bottles) is probably not a good
example of Baird's Japaneseness. It's a Belgian wheat-style beer in the style of a Hoegaarden, fruity, like other Belgian wheats. Baird's difference: the fruitiness and spiciness come from the wheat and the yeast, not the addition
of fruits or spices. I can't say if that's a good or bad thing. If the beer tastes good, do I care if the goodness
came from additional ingredients as long as those ingredients aren't pigs' testicles and snake urine?

Baird's Wheat King Wit is a
tasty treat and superior to Hoegaarden, but at these prices
and with Baird's Belgian wheat not all that easy to source,
I'll probably be sticking with Hoegaarden.